Submision in Islam

SUBMISSION IN ISLAM
Wahiduddin Khan

Islam means submission to God. It is an Arabic

word, derived from ‘Aslama’, which means
submission. The name ‘Islam’ is conferred on the
divine religion in this verse of the Quran:
“Today I have perfected your religion for
you, and I have completed My favour to
you, and I have chosen for you Islam as
your religion.” (5:3)
The Quran tells us that submission to God should
be total:
“O you who believe! Enter into Islam
wholeheartedly…” (2:208)
A Muslim is required to submit himself or herself to
God with total devotion and in all sincerity. This
submission implies complete obedience to God in
all matters.
Islam is the name chosen by God for the religion
approved by Him for human beings. All the
messengers sent by God (from Adam to the
Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger of God),
brought the same religion: the religion of total
submission and surrender to God. The Quran
states:
“The same religion has He established for
you as that which we enjoined on Nuh and
that which We have revealed to you, and

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that which We ordained for Ibrahim, Musa

and Isa, saying that you should remain
steadfast in religion, and make no division
therein…” (42:13).
God’s religion is one religion. It is the same
religion, which has always been revealed by God to
His prophets. According to the Quran, all the
previous apostles, Nuh, Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq,
Yaqub, Lut, Yusuf, Musa, and Isa were Muslims.
The Quran also tells us that submission to God is
the only religion for both man and the universe:
“Are they seeking a religion other than
God’s, when all creatures in heaven and on
earth have submitted to Him, willingly or
by compulsion? To Him they shall all
return.” (3:83)
Islam is the religion of the universe. Everything in
the universe—the sun, the moon, the stars—have
all completely submitted themselves to the will of
God. This means that submission to God is the only
true religion for both man and the universe. All the
things on the earth or in space follow God’s
commands to the letter. The revolution of the
stars, the flowing of water, the growing of trees, in
short, all things are following the same course,
which was determined for them by God. Nothing is
allowed to deviate from the divine path. The Quran
says:

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“The sun is not allowed to overtake the

moon, nor does the night outpace the day.
Each moves along in its own orbit.” (36:40)
Each one is faithfully carrying out the duty
assigned to it without making the slightest
deviation from the path God has ordained for it.
Man is likewise required to demonstrate that same
total submission to the will of God. Everyone
should strictly obey the commands of God without
any deviation or alteration.
At all times man must unfailingly do as the Lord
desires. His hands and feet, his eyes and tongue,
his heart and mind, all must bow in supplication to
God. No part of him, whether mental or physical,
should in any way flout His will. This is required of
all human beings. The Prophet Muhammad has
declared:
‘A believer with his faith is like a horse with
its tether. The movement of the horse is
restricted to the length of its tether. The
same is true of the believer. His words and
deeds are all restricted by the limitations
set by his faith.’
A True Muslims Character
A true Muslim leads a highly disciplined life, always
adhering to the set of do’s and don’ts ordained by
God Almighty. He is entirely pure in speech, and
even subordinates his intention and thinking to the
will of God. He always feels himself to be a servant
of his Lord.

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The Quran depicts the true Muslim thus:

‘And the servants of the Beneficent God are
they who walk on the earth in humbleness,
and when the ignorant address them, they
say: “Peace.” And they who pass the night
standing and prostrating themselves before
their Lord. And they who say: “O our Lord!
Ward off from us the punishment of hell, for
surely its punishment is everlasting. Surely
it is an evil abode and an evil place to
stay.” And they who, when they spend, are
neither extravagant nor parsimonious, but
keep the golden mean... And whoever
repents and does good shall surely return
to Allah... These shall be rewarded with
lofty places in paradise because they were
patient, and shall be met therein with
greetings and salutations. There they shall
abide forever: a blessed dwelling and a
blessed resting place.’ (25:63-67, 70-71,
75-76)
So Islam means living in harmony with nature, as
one ought to, face to face with reality. Man has not
created himself. He has been created by God. To
live in accordance with reality is, then to
acknowledge the greatness of God and show
appreciation of His favours. He wants something to
depend upon, something on which to focus his
efforts. If he leads his life in accordance with
reality, he will focus all his attention on God alone,
who is the Creator of everything on this earth and

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in the universe: nothing besides Him has any real

power.
The position that Islam occupies in relation to our
lives should be an integral, not a supplementary
one:
“Take on God’s own colour. And who has
better colour than God?” (2:138)
Here is an example to illustrate this point. When a
stone is dropped in water it descends to the
bottom and settles there. It is in the water, but
separate from it. On the other hand, if colour is put
into a glass of water, the colour and water
combine. The water is not separate from the
colour. Both intermingle in such a way that no one
can detect any difference between the two.
The relationship between Islam and a true believer
should be like that of colour and water, not of
stone and water. Islam should not just be an
accessory to a Muslim’s life; it should merge with
his whole being; as the Quran says, Islam should
be entered into ‘in its totality’ (2:208).
When a person adopts Islam in this manner, it
becomes like his own heartbeat as it permeates his
emotions. It enters his thoughts, moulding his
intellect in its own fashion. It becomes the eye with
which he sees, the tongue with which he speaks,
the hands and feet with which he performs his day-
to-day functions. It takes possession of a person,
to the exclusion of everything else. His every

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statement bears the stamp of Islam and his actions

reflect Islamic colours.
If Islam is like a stone dropped into in water, it is
not Islam at all. Faith should be absorbed by a
person in the way colour is dissolved in water. Just
as the emotions of love and hate are felt by the
whole body, so, when one adopts Islam in the real
sense of the word, it becomes an issue affecting
one’s whole existence. The Muslim and Islam
become inseparably attached to each other.

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